Mask of Mandalore: Children of War
by Mischief's Angel
Summary: When Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore gives birth to a daughter, she keeps the child hidden for the protection of the girl and her father. The child, Nadine, will be born into war, causing her to be raised during the galaxy's most gruesome wars: the Clone Wars. It doesn't help that her fate seems forever tied to another impossible child born out of war.
1. Chapter 1

Satine faintly recalled the sight of the medic droids scurrying about around her. They spoke, but to her or each other she couldn't tell. The words were blurred and insignificant compared through the pain tearing through her abdomen. She couldn't tell, either, if her confused state of being meant that she had been medicated or had lost consciousness. The way her head felt, the latter seemed the more likely of the two. She did not notice the medic at her side until she felt the pressure of the nurse's hand on her arm.

"M'lady, try and stay with us," the nurse spoke calmly.

"What…what has happened?" Satine asked, finding her own voice to be weak and strange to her own ears.

"It's coming," the nurse explained, letting slip the slightest tone of worry that she worked to conceal, "Earlier than we expected."

It took a moment for the words to register, but, as they set in, her heart rate rose and her breathing shallowed.

"No!" she began to panic, "Not yet! It can't….I need...need more time!"

"Please, try and relax," came a mechanical, pre-programmed voice at her other side.

She did not care to look to find the droid, for none of the medics could possibly understand the risks Satine was taking.

After this, she could remember movement; she was moved on a lift-bed to another room. Then, there was pain beyond what she could ever recall, coupled with muffled screams and the blurred shapes of the medics moving about in a terrible rush. The world seemed to go black around her. The pain and the noise faded away with it. After what felt like an eternity or the blink of an eye, a sound cut through the blackness. She could hear a cry that seemed to wrench her heart; it was the cry of a small child, likely an infant. Satine willed her eyes to open as the world slipped back into place around her bit by bit. Within a minute or so, her senses sharpened to their normal height and she felt a dull, miserable ache in her body replace the numbness. Taking in the room around her, she discovered that she was in a medical room, set up in her private home. Around her were the medic droids that she had heard, carefully going about an unknown task. At the foot of the bed where she laid unable to move, stood the human nurse who had spoken to her before. The sound of the wailing child emanated from a bundle in the nurse's arms. Realization struck once more: her child. The child wasn't due for at least a few weeks more, yet...here it was. The nurse, blissfully unaware of the turmoil in Satine's mind, turned toward the new mother.

"It's a girl, M'lady," the nurse spoke warmly, with a smile growing on her face.

The nurse, spotting Satine's attempt to sit up further, pressed a control panel on the side of the bed with her free hand, before the top third of the bed angled up to a better position.

"Would you like to hold her?"

"Yes."

The reply was weak and hoarse, suggesting that the earlier screams that she had heard came from her own voice. That did not matter. The pain and confusion faded into memory as she moved on to what did matter: the small creature now bundled and safe in her weakened arms. As she silently held the child, the crying stopped and the red and tearstained face of her new daughter calmed to look curiously upwards. Satine gently wiped the tears off of her daughter's face, knowing in the back of her mind that it would not be the last time she did so. She found her tired voice once more.

"Everything is going to be alright," she hushed the child, working also to convince herself of the lie.

"She seems rather happy to see you. Calm and curious little thing," the nurse beamed cheerfully, "What will you call her, M'lady?"

Satine looked down into the large curious eyes. They were a brilliant blue-green and Satine knew where she had seen those very eyes many times before. The baby had her father's eyes. She swallowed the pain that rose within her chest, and looked away from a painful memory toward the possibility of a brand new future, if not for her than for her child.

"Nadine." she hummed gently, allowing a stray tear to fall down her pale face, "Nadine Kryze."

For hours, Satine sat and held her child, staring into the innocent face. The sleeping infant was the brightest light that Satine had in her life. Her world seemed to be constantly at odds, always fighting and struggling for power and survival. The threat to her own life seemed to grow with each passing year, as the young Duchess tried to lead her people to the best of her power. Yet, here her daughter laid, safe and unaware of the troubled Galaxy beyond her mother's arms. _Safe_. Satine thought on the word.

Safe was in short supply. It wasn't in the nature of Mandalore to be safe, and it certainly wasn't in the people's history. Whatever safety they had now, rested in keeping the world from tearing itself apart.

"I...I do not know what powers there are out there," she stuttered softly, hoping someone or something would hear her, "But...if there is a power in the galaxy, I beg you, keep my child safe. Never let her be alone. What strength is in her is not from me. Please…"

Tears fell gently onto the blanket surrounding the only family the Duchess had left now. It was unlikely that they would stop falling anytime soon, as the mother wept over what she believed was her last hope.

It had been weeks since the birth of her first and only child, Satine recalled as she walked along the halls, clutching her sleeping daughter to her chest. She was quickly running out of time, as she feared she would. With no husband, questions about the child would be inevitable for her. The truth was nothing she could not overcome, yet she knew that revealing it put the child's father in great jeopardy. She simply was not willing to force that on him. He carried enough of the burdens of others. Many times, she considered contacting him, telling him of their child, but she simply could not bear the consequences of that action on her already heavy heart. The answer was obvious to her. He would come to her and the baby and try to make it right, no matter what it cost him. He was a good man and he would never even hesitate. Satine knew, however, that she could never ask him to walk away from the only life that he had, the one he always had. It simply was unfair. Satine would simply have to face this challenge alone. _Not entirely alone_ , she thought as the child gurgled tiredly, waking up. She would have Nadine. Questions could be avoided for now, as long as the child remained out of the public eye. She told herself that it was better for the child that way, kept away from all of the pain and trouble that the world, and those beyond it, caused. This child would be raised in a palace with a loving mother. That was not such a terrible fate, after all.

Years seemed to pass far too quickly. With each year, as the Duchess feared, new dangers grew. There had been a droid invasion of one of the Galactic Republic's allied planets years before, but it was short lived and far from her own system. She had thought nothing of it; however, that was before her daughter. Now, she kept a close watch on the troubles of the Republic that might, one day, reach Mandalore. For now, nothing came of this separatist attack. Still wary of the Trade Federation's treachery, as well as many other dangers, the Duchess had claimed neutrality over her system and its people. If fighting ever did break out, she would have none of it. Satine would risk no harm to her people or her family!

"Mama…" a small voice turned her from her thoughts.

She turned to see her loyal handmaiden, and Nadine's nurse and caretaker, Talla, standing in the doorframe holding Nadine. The little girl eagerly reached her small, chubby hands out toward her mother.

"I know you were not to be disturbed, ma'am," Talla explained, "But she seemed desperate to see you."

"That's quite alright," Satine smiled wearily, "She always seems to know when I'm upset and could use the company."

Satine gracefully took the young girl into her own arms, as she had done a hundred times before, and smiled warmly at Nadine.

"Upset, my lady? Is there something wrong?"

"The same things as are always wrong, Talla," she sighed, "But it is nothing we have not overcome before. No matter what storms come to us from the stars, we will get through it as we have always done."

She placed a gentle kiss to Nadine's forehead.

"Together."


	2. Chapter 2

"Duchess Satine," a guard greeted the Duchess as he approached her in the courtyard, "The Prime Minister has arrived. He requests to speak with you."

"Yes, thank you," she replied politely, attempting to hide the anxiousness in her voice, "I'll be along shortly."

"He requests the audience now, your highness."

Satine took a look behind her at where Talla walked with Nadine at her side, who was now growing far faster than Satine would like. She sighed and followed the guard inside, knowing that her child would be fine. As she entered the palace's conference chamber, she was Prime Minister Almec standing by one of the large windows overlooking the grounds.

"Prime Minister," she greeted, "What an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Duchess Satine," he turned to face her with a solemn expression, "I wish I could say I was here under better circumstances, but I'm afraid our situation has worsened."

"What? What has happened?"

"It's the Republic Duchess," he explained, "The war between the Republic and Separatists has only grown worse. They are now in a full state of war, not some minor squabble halfway across the galaxy."

"This isn't news, Almec," she responded, "We knew this would happen. It was for this reason that we claimed neutrality for Mandalore."

"Therein lies the problem, Duchess. The Republic has seen our neutrality and decided that, in the interest of the war, trade with a neutral system is damaging to resources better suited for allies."

"What are you saying?" she insisted, worry growing on her face.

"The Republic has broken their trade agreements with the whole of the Mandalore system. Satine...they won't help us anymore. We're on our own."

"We depend upon Republic trade! They simply cannot do this!"

"You know I have always stood by your idea of neutrality, Duchess," Almec reminded her, "But this is the result, it seems. We need to make preparations immediately."

"Preparations? And what are we preparing for?" she huffed, growing more frustrated by the second.

"We're too close to this now. We need to prepare to be completely self-reliant as long as we can. It will need to be a unified effort. There will have to be rationing-"

"Rationing? Almec, we need to fight this. The Republic will not do this to us! I will speak to them myself if I must!"

"Perhaps that would be wise, Duchess. Surely, if they saw our situation more clearly, we could change things here."

There was something dark in his voice, but Satine was blind to it as her mind raced. She paced in small steps, formulating a plan. As the Duchess, she would need to address the Republic senate about this, for the good of Mandalore.

"There is...one more thing to discuss, Satine," Almec added hesitantly.

Satine turned back to him and looked at him expectantly.

"There has been some talk…"

"Talk?"

"How old is your daughter now, Satine?"

"What's the meaning of this question, Almec? What's going on?"

"In a trying time such as this, you cannot have people doubting or questioning your house, Duchess. Now, you have an unexplained child that you keep hidden behind these walls, away from your own people. It doesn't bode well and people are talking."

The offense on her face was clear as she watched his face. He was telling her the truth, regardless of whether or not she wanted to hear it.

"What would you have me do?" she worried, reminding herself that his job was to counsel her for the good of their people.

That was, after all, what she needed to care about, more than anything or anyone.

"The way I see it," Almec answered with a sigh, "You can tell people the truth about this child...or you can send her away until this all blows over."

"What?!" she snapped slightly, before remembering to regain her composure, "I cannot send my daughter away."

"It wouldn't be forever, Satine," he tried to reassure her sympathetically, "Only for a while. She could stay in one of many fine palaces owned by the royal family of Mandalore. There, she could be well educated, taken care of, and safe from this war."

"What you say sounds like reason, but it feels like exile. I...I can't."

"You would choose lying to your people over knowing that your child was safe and kept away from all of this danger and talk of even famine?"

"I need to think. I need time."

"We don't have it, Duchess. We must be ready."

With that, the Prime Minister took his leave of the conversation and left her to her thoughts. She resumed her minor pacing, even more anxious than before. This child was all she had left of a real family...or even the dying dream of one.

"Not my child," she choked out to whatever force of the universe would hear her, "Don't take my child. If she is to be...sent away, protect her. Bring her back to me."

There was too much to consider and no time left.

Satine walked back to the courtyard garden to find that Talla and Nadine were still there. Talla stood nervously at the base of a tall tree-like plant, watching in mild horror as the child climbed ever higher.

"Nadine!" Talla called, "Come back down this moment! You'll get hurt!"

"No!" the girl called back down, "I haven't reached the top yet."

The stubborn determination on the child's face was all too familiar to Satine. This child had more of her father in her than she ever would her mother.

"Adi," Satine called up calmly, using the girl's nickname, "What are you doing up there?"

"I'm so sorry, Milady. I tried to stop her and-" Tall explained, before being gently silenced by a calm gesture from Satine.

"Adi? What are you doing?" Satin asked again.

"I'm going on an adventure!" Nadine replied excitedly, "When I reach the top, I'll be able to see over the courtyard wall!"

"Why do you want to see over the wall?"

"To see the world, Mother! I want to see it!"

The simply reply was nearly enough to break Satine's heart. She knew when she gave birth to her daughter that it was likely the child wouldn't leave this palace. It was the only way she could personally insure the safety of her only child. Now, the child grew more every day, in age, intelligence, and curiosity. This wasn't a baby she could keep huddled to her chest anymore. This was a growing child of Mandalore, desperate to stretch boundaries and see what the universe had to give. Satine knew the truth; the universe brought war and destruction. As much as she wished on her life that she could shield her precious child from all of the darkness, no one had such power.

"Mother?" Adi called from her perch in the tree, "Why are you so sad?"

The girl quickly and skillfully scrambled down to the ground to look up at her mother directly.

"I'm sorry, Mama," she pleaded, "I didn't mean to make you sad. I just wanted to see."

"No, no, Adi," Satine shook her head with a weak smile, pulling the child into her arms, "You haven't done anything. I just- I have a decision to make, but maybe you can help me."

"I want to help!" Adi agreed, nodding excitedly.

"How would you...like to go away for a while?"

"Like on a trip? Away?"

"Yes, my love," Satine smiled hollowly, "On a trip. We have some family and another home, much like this one, but...away from here. You would go and stay with them for awhile. They'd take very good care of you. Even Talla would go with you."

Seeing Satine's poorly disguised hurt, Talla gave the Duchess a knowing nod and quickly put on a matching smile for the child's sake.

"Wouldn't that be exciting?" Satine asked.

"Yes, please! We'd go on adventures together, wouldn't we, Mama?"

"I'm sorry, Adi," Satine explained, her smile breaking even further, "I...I wouldn't be able to go with you."

"But...why not?"

"I have to stay here. I promised to take care of our home and our people," Satine continued, "It's my duty to stay."

"I don't want to go without you!" Adi protested, fear clear in her eyes.

"It would only be for a while, Nadine. Then you would come right home to me. Do you understand?"

"If I go away…" Adi wondered, "Will it help you save people?"

"I think it might," Satine admitted, both to herself and the child, "I would know that you were safe and protected, and I could do my job here. I don't want to be away from you. Please, _know_ that."

"I'll go."

Satine was distraught, but the Prime Minister offered to personally assist in preparations in order to help with the difficult choice. The day came quickly, and Satine found herself standing on the landing platform as the transport ship was loaded, along with the two escort ships that were prepared to protect it on the journey. She kept a strong expression, yet tears flowed freely down her face. She watched as Talla walked with Nadine to the boarding ramp of the vessel, before Nadine turned around and ran from it, directly toward her. Nadine ran straight into her mother's arms, tears running down her face to mirror Satine.

"Goodbye, Mother," she sniffled.

Satine held her daughter tightly to her, not knowing when she would have the chance to do so again.

"Goodbye, my dear. For now."

"I'll be home soon," Nadine tried to reassure her, "I'll come home and help you protect our home! I promise!"

"That's very brave of you," Satine smiled sadly, wiping tears from Adi's face.

"Just watch. I'll come back and we'll take care of our people, like you always want. Like a family, right?"

"Of course."

Nadine offered the best smile she could, before returning to Talla's side. Talla gave Satine a sympathetic look, silently swearing to look after Nadine as until her dying day if she needed to. As they boarded the ship and it navigated away from the platform, Satine finally let out the choked sob that she'd been holding for so long.

"Be brave, Satine," Almec urged, walking up to her, "She will be safe. You did the right thing in protecting her."

Satine nodded, but made no move to leave the platform. She needed time. Time to think. Time to process. She was able to grant Nadine her wish; she would be able to see the world. She just never imagined that her only child wouldn't see the world until it was falling away from her in the distance.

Almec walked back into the palace, putting on a sad facade for the sake of the heartbroken Duchess. As he entered an empty hall, he hesitantly pulled a comm device from his pocket. After a long moment of consideration, he pressed the flashing button on the device.

"It's done," he sighed into the device, "She's on the ship."

"And the Duchess?" a voice answered back.

"She has no idea. Just...do your job."


	3. Chapter 3

"Yes, sir."

The mercenary set the comm aside and turned toward the pilot of the small assault craft.

"We're in business," he instructed the pilot, "Round up the others. Make sure those ships don't land!"

The pilot nodded and sent the signal to the other four small crafts around them. The attackers were in formation when the Duchess's transport vessel and the two escorts were dropped out of light speed in front of them.

"Talla," Nadine spoke quietly, looking up at her caretaker, "Is it a long trip?"

"No, dear," Talla smiled warmly, "We'll be there soon. Don't you worry."

As they spoke, the ship jerked to a halt, causing Talla to look around nervously. She quickly disguised her expression for the sake of Nadine.

"Something's wrong…"

"No, child," Talla assured her, "I'm sure everything's fine."

"No! Something's wrong!" Nadine repeated more intensely, "I know it!"

"Shh! Calm down! Everything's fine."

"It's not! I can tell!" the girl insisted, pulling away, "I can feel it! You believe me, too! You know I'm right, even if you don't know why."

Talla was shocked by the girl's insight. While, it was true Talla suspected there was something wrong, how could the child possibly know with this type of certainty?

"We have to move the ship!"

Nadine took off down the corridor, ignoring the calls from Talla for her to return. She didn't stop until she found her way to the main bridge of the ship. Without waiting on approval, she ran onto the bridge. The ship's captain turned around quickly.

"Your highness," he greeted her, smiling politely.

"Captain, we're in danger. We have to move the ship!" she insisted.

"Now, now. We're only having some trouble with the hyperdrive. That's all. No need to worry. We'll be on our way in-"

"The hyperdrive? On all three ships? At once?" she asked.

Nadine didn't pretend to know one thing about the starships she barely ever saw, but anyone knew that three identical problems on different ships is a big coincidence.

"Well…" the Captain replied, pausing to think about it.

"It's not an accident. I don't know how, but...it's bad!"

"We will handle this," he assured her, "Just go back to-"

"Captain!" on of the small crew called to him, "We're picking up five ships headed this way. Mandalorian."

"There, you see," the Captain sighed, "Help is already on the way."

"Did you call for help?" the child wondered, "They don't look nice…"

As she looked over the captain shoulder, the five approaching ships appeared into view, already firing at the transport. Nadine took off running back down the corridor, hearing the Captain should defensive maneuvers behind her. She was nearly thrown off of her feet when the ship violent shook from the impact of enemy fire. The lighting went red as an alarm blared in warning to the passengers and crew. Talla still stood in the hall, frozen with the panic that was spreading around her. Nadine grabbed her hand and pulled her along, attempting to get her to follow.

"I told you!" the child shouted, "We have to run!"

Talla silently followed along behind her, a blank expression of fear keeping her responses from ever leaving her lips.

As they fled down the hallway, a pipe burst from the wall, shooting heavy grey steam in front of them. Talla stopped and turned back to see behind them. Sparks flew from the panelling, cutting through the corridor itself.

"We're being boarded," Talla mumbled in fear, realizing the full gravity of the situation.

She turned to Nadine and grabbed her shoulders.

"Listen to me, Adi," she instructed, "You cannot outrun them. Go. Find a place to hide!"

"No!" the girl protested, grabbing Talla's arm again, "I'm not leaving you! Come on!"

Covering her face with her sleeve, she ran through the steam, pulling Talla along with her.

"Nadine! You have to listen to me! Hide!"

"You promised you'd stay with me! You need to take me back to my mother!"

Talla could see the tears on the child's face as plainly as she heard heavy footsteps running down the hall behind them. Boots heavily smacked against the grates, showing that they were near.

"I know. I know what I promised. I'm sorry, Adi."

She opened a storage panel behind the girl and pushed her inside, slamming it shut and effectively hiding her. Talla didn't make it three steps before a blast to her side caused her to scream out and fall to the grated floor. Nadine was helpless but to watch through a fine grate at the blurry shapes in the hallway.

"That one!" one of the dark figures of the attackers called out, as another two grabbed the fallen women and lifted her to her feet, "You! Where's the child?!"

Talla didn't answer, so the man drove the back of his armored hand against her face harshly. The slap left a gash on the side of her face, but she didn't react to it.

"She got away!" she spat resolutely.

"No. She didn't," the mercenary stated, pulling a blaster off his side and aiming it at her face, "Tell me where she is and _maybe_ we let you live."

"I won't tell you!"

"Three…"

No response.

"Two…"

No response.

"One…"

"Wait!" Adi cried out, pushing the door to the storage locker open, "I'm here! Now you know! Just let her go!"

"Adi! No!" Talla cried out, too late, as the mercenary pulled the trigger.

Her body fell limp to the floor, as Nadine's shriek echoed through the metal halls and the world seemed to blur around her.

"But...but…" she stuttered weakly, "You said you'd let her live."

"I said "maybe"." the man chuckled venomously, "Take her!"

Nadine screamed once more as the other two attackers grabbed her arms and forced her along with them.

"No! Leave me alone!"

"No can do, little runt! You're worth a fortune!" the man on her right laughed.

She looked up at the familiar armor design with sudden recognition. Mandalorians.

No matter how she fought against the grip, she was much too small to escape even one of the mercenaries. She had no choice but to be loaded onto one of their ships, watching her own vessel fall away from them into space, barely staying intact.

"Sir," a man on the ship called to the mercenary who had so brutally murdered Talla, "What about the rest? We can salvage-"

"No! We got what we came for. Her royal highness here wants us to let them go, so...let 'em go."

Nadine didn't like the sickening laughter that followed from everyone after. She pulled herself free from the distracted men and ran to the nearest window in time to watch the blast reach her escort ships and blow the three of them into scrap metal.

"NO!" she sobbed out, causing her to be grabbed by the back of her dress and pulled away.

"Is there a problem, _your highness?"_ the leader of the rabble asked, kneeling down in front of her and tilting his head.

The cold black of the visor and red and grey of the armor made for an unsettling appearance far away and an even worse one close. Regardless, Nadine mustered any strength she had to answer him.

"You didn't have to do that! You got what you wanted! They were innocent!"

"Lesson one, Princess," he replied, grabbing her face with one gloved hand and forcing her to look at him, "No one is _innocent._ "

He stood and gestured to the others.

"Someone get her in the cargo hold and make sure she doesn't scream. I can't stand a noisy flight."

The cargo hold that Nadine was thrown into was cold and dark. It was little more than a metal box with a few locked containers inside. As she landed onto the ground, she immediately crawled over into the far corner, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to keep from crying even harder. When the man that tossed her in hit the door panel, the box was shut completely and barely any light at all could find its way in. Unable to hold them off any longer, sobs finally broke free of her chest and the pained noises then echoed around in the metal walls. She silently wished to herself that she had never wished to leave home. The world wasn't like all of the adventures that she'd read about. This wasn't an adventure; it was a nightmare. All she wanted for years was to leave home, just once. Now, she wondered if she would ever be able to go back.

After what felt like an age of crying into her folded arms, Nadine pulled her body tighter into a ball to try and keep warm enough. Her thoughts raged on and on about how she should never have left, how she might never see her mother again, and about how she might die in this box. More than any other thoughts, she sat there blaming herself for what happened to Talla. The woman swore to protect her until her dying day, but it came far too soon. Eventually, adrenaline faded away and exhaustion took its place, forcing her to find her way into a restless sleep.

Prime Minister Almec made his way to Satine's office, remembering to appear to have some sense of urgency. As he entered, the tired Duchess looked up at him hopefully.

"Have you heard from the transports yet? Why haven't they arrived?" she began questioning immediately.

"I'm afraid no word has come from them," he sighed, "And none will."

"What? Why not?" Satine demanded, standing and walking up to him.

"I am so sorry, Duchess. It seems the route they took was being watched. It was mercenaries. They overtook the transport."

"No…" Satine gasped, "What ransom are those murderers asking for?"

"That's just it," Almec explained as his shoulders sank, "They aren't calling for ransom. The ships were all...destroyed. None were left alive."

"No…" Satine choked out once more, "No...no,,,no…"

"I'm sorry, Satine. I know this is hard to hear."

"None? Not one survivor?!"

"They destroyed everything. There was barely a trace of the ships left."

"Thank you...Almec...for telling me this," she struggled out.

He placed a hand on her shoulder in false comfort.

"This may not be the best time to address it, but there were rumors that this was the work of the Death Watch. We know that they have ties with the Separatists. I am afraid, Duchess, that this may be an act of war against us."

"They wouldn't dare do something like this…"

"They have. You know that I support your campaign of neutrality," he reminded her, "But there is now much to consider."

"Please, Almec. Not now. Go."

Without question, he left the room. Satine stayed behind as the weight of what happened fell on her shoulders. Slowly sinking to her knees, she let her tears fall freely to the marbled floor.

"No…" she pleaded, "Not my baby…"


	4. Chapter 4

Nadine woke up when a metal plated boot nudged her side roughly. She didn't open her eyes out of silent fear, but she could hear two people hovering over her and talking.

"Is she dead or something? What's wrong with her?" one of the voices said.

"I dunno. Kick her harder and see if she moves," the other suggested.

Both voices sounded young, like two young boys poking around curiously. She feared an incoming kick until a third voice, slightly deeper and more severe than the first two, chimed in.

"Hey, both of you! Get out of here! Now!"

Light footsteps scurried away as the boys fled, leaving only the third voice.

"Kid, wake up!"

Slowly opening her eyes, Nadine looked up at the figure standing above her. He wore a suit of armor very similar to that of the captain that had killed Talla and taken Nadine captive. The same crest adorned his right shoulder and the same demeanor radiated off of him. She scrambled to move and back away from him.

"Hey, easy, Tiny," he remarked, holding his empty gloved hands in the air, "No weapons. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Liar!" Nadine insisted.

With a shrug and a sigh, he reached up and removed his helmet, holding it at his side instead. He was a boy who looked to be about fifteen years of age, with a face that held far more experience than that of a normal teenager. His hair was shaved short on the sides with patterns shaved around his head, yet long enough to have brown waves on the top. His skin was a bit tanned and scarred from what looked like hard work and a lot of time outside. Overall, he didn't have the friendliest face, but his display of showing his face at all was a good start. He knelt down to look at her, watching as she took in her surroundings.

Looking around, Nadine realized that she was in a large tent of some sort, circular in shape with a fire and a smoke vent in the center, keeping it warm and lit. A few crates laid around, but that didn't mean much to her.

"Wh-where am I?"

Her voice sounded small and weak, but she didn't even notice the sound in her own ears.

"You're at a training camp," he answered plainly, "They dropped you here to keep you outta the way until the job was over."

"I don't understand," she trembled, "Why am I here? I didn't do anything!"

"No, but you're worth a lot. Good news for you is: you're worth more alive."

He set the helmet down on the ground and shifted to sit down beside it, still watching her closely, but not crowding her.

"Are they going to hurt me…?"

"That depends," he answered with a blunt honesty, "You gonna break the rules? If you do, you'll be in trouble. Probably a world of hurt. If you be quiet and do as I say, you might be just fine. My name is Teran Jex. I've been put in charge of making sure you don't run off or get yourself killed. You're needed alive, so that means there's rules."

"Rules…?"  
"You hurt yourself to try and die and get outta this, I'll stop you and it won't be fun. You try and starve yourself, I'll force you to eat. Trust me, that's not fun either. You run, I catch you. Again...no fun. You getting how this works, runt?"

Nadine nodded quickly, afraid to say too much.

"If you follow all my rules, it looks good on my part and you don't get hurt. Doesn't hurt any that you'll get food and a shelter."

"I'm worth a lot?" she questioned, going back to his previous statement.

"You're a Kryze. That means you're a small fortune to the right people...or a good asset to have lying around. Just...be careful. Everyone around here hates that name."

"But...I know your armor. You are Mando'a. So am I. Why are you doing this?"

"Oh, please," he chuckled cruelly, "You're not Mando'a. You peacekeepers are ruining everything Mandalore once stood for. We're some of the last true Mandalorians left."

"That's not true. My mother is trying to protect people."

"Your mother is going to let the homeworld starve and suffocate in their peaceful isolation. If she'd just chosen the good fight, they'd have trade and wealth flowing back into the streets. Instead, it's all politics now. What a joke!"

"She'll be looking for me!" Nadine insisted, some confidence behind her words, "She won't rest until she finds me and then you'll all be-"

His resuming laughter caught her off guard.

"Look, runt," he pointed out, "Your family thinks you got blow outta the galaxy with those ships. They're not gonna scour the systems for a ghost."

"No, they'll-"

"Don't you get it? No one's looking for you."

He stood back up taking his helmet in his hands and raising it back onto his head.

"Wouldn't make a difference anyway. They wouldn't find you. Better get used to your new home. You'll be here a long time."

"Wait!" she called after him, stopping him from leaving, "What's going to happen to me?"

"That depends…" he replied, thinking for a moment, "The leaders are discussing

it now. Your fate's in their hands. It's not a great feeling, but only the strong get to control their own fate in a messed up galaxy like this one. That doesn't mean you."

He walked out of the tent, inadvertently giving Nadine a small glance past the heavy fabric door before it fell back into place. Guards were stationed outside, so there would be no leaving that way. All she could do was wait.

Teran entered the largest tent structure, where a gathering of the lead captains were already standing around and arguing loudly.

"Teran," the captain of the raid greeted him, "That girl giving you trouble yet?"

"She's a kid," the teen huffed in response, "I think I can handle it, Captain Jex."

"You'd better, little brother," the captain warned, "Once more screw up and you'll go from babysitting down to scraping mud off of the boots of _decent_ mercenaries! Now, why are you here?"

"What are you gonna do to her?"

"Why's it matter to you?"

"It doesn't!" Teran defended, unconvincingly, "I was just curious."

"We get paid to keep here here until she's useful to the buyer who gave us the job. That's all. Just keep her alive."

"That's stupid!" Teran objected, "Just let her sit there. She'd be a waste of space and food."

"What do you suggest?"

Jex folded his arms across his chest and glanced around at the others, who had, by this point, stopped and begun to watch the conversation.

"Well…" Teran stuttered, losing the spine he'd had moments before, "If she's gotta be here and be alive, we can make that work better for us."

A collective mumbling of side conversations and rude comments rose up, but Jex silenced them with a shrill whistle.

"Go on, little brother. Humor us."

"The only instructions that we got was to keep here here and to keep her alive, yeah? So, we can do that without her being a total waste of resources. If she could be trained to work or cook or something, she'd have a real purpose. She's young and brainwashed by all of that political junk, but we could show her the truth and convince her that we're right. Then, she'd be here and alive, but she'd be one of us."

A moment of silence passed before cruel laughter was spat at the young man. Teran just paused and thought of a new strategy. He crossed his arms and mirrored his oldest brother's apathetic and condescending posture.

"Well, if you have that little faith in the cause of Mandalore then-"

"Wait just a minute!" Jex snapped, "We never said that."

"You're so convinced that a mere child can't even be swayed to see the truth, the homeworld _never_ will."

"We are the _only_ true children of Mandalore, whether they like it or not! That child will never be Mando'a."

"You once told me that being a true Mandalorian was a right you earned!"

"It is!"

"Then, how will you ever know if she is or isn't. Either way, she lives long enough for you to get your money. You don't lose a thing. We're short on help around the camp and-"

"Alright! Alright," Jex conceded, "If you want to waste your time training a ten year old girl to be somehow useful, then that's your problem. Just make sure she's _alive_ or I beat the lost bounty out of _you._ "

"Useful, huh?"

"Sure. Just...get out of here."

"Deal!"

Teran held out a hand, which Jex hesitantly shook. As soon as the deal was struck, the boy walked back out.

Nadine's attention shot up when Teran reentered the tent.

"Good news, runt! You get to live!"

"You're...you're not going to hurt me?"

"I won't have to. You'll learn pain a different way."

She scrambled back as far away from him as she could.

"Relax. It'll be worth it," he explained, "You see, you and me have a lot to talk about. For starters, I'm going to teach you about the _real_ Mandalore. Then, we'll see if you have what it takes. We start now!"

He tossed her a large stick as he wielded a similar one.

"Lesson one: don't get your hide handed to you during lecture time!"

She stood on shaky legs and grabbed the branch as best she could, holding it up in a weak defense.

"We have a lot of work to do."

 _Useful,_ he thought, _that was what Jex agreed to. She'll be useful alright. He'll show them._


	5. Chapter 5

"You're lucky you're needed alive, runt!" Teran laughed bitterly, bringing the staff down harder against Nadine's weak defense. "If you weren't, you'd be cannon fodder for _real_ fighters!"

Blocking as much of the assault as she could, Nadine flinched and stumbled away from her attacker, attempting to protect herself through a retreating defense. It was exactly that mindset that allowed Teran to easily catch her off guard and knock her legs out from under her. Once again, Nadine looked up at the victor, looking utterly defeated.

Days ago, when Teran had begun this sad excuse for training, he realized that this child wasn't doing anyone any good in a ratty dress. She was given something else to wear, consisting of a grey shirt and pair of pants, both dull and practical in their design. Layered over the too-large shirt were a few light plates of plasteel cadets armor, used for training young soldiers to fight. Her hair was roughly pulled back in a messy bun and her eyes were red from the tears that she still caught herself shedding day after day. Over all, Teran thought this scrappy kid looked ridiculous.

"Why are you doing this?" the girl protested, covering her face as though he would keep attacking even when she was on the ground. She crawled backwards further away, tears forming in her tired eyes. "I'm not a fighter. I can't do this!"

Teran dropped his staff, figuring that the metal rod was likely pointless. This was getting him nowhere. He walked along slowly, matching Nadine's speed so that she wouldn't put any real distance between them. "Not with that attitude, you're not. You've gotta give up this whole 'I'm innocent so let me go' thing. It's not getting you anywhere but butt first in that dirt. What do you want?"

Nadine looked up at him for a moment, confused by the question. She took a deep breath and answered. "I want to go home!"

"No," Teran sighed, "That's not it. You know that you can't go home. I mean what do you want _right_ _now_? In this very second, what do you want to happen?" He stopped walking toward her, since Nadine had stopped moving away, even if she was still on the ground.

"I want you to stop hitting me with a stick!"

"There we go!" he cheered, "Was that so hard? Now, you finally know what it is you really want. If you know what your goal is, the next part is to make it happen, yeah? You want me to stop hitting you? Make me!"

Nadine squealed out in fear, covering her face with her arm again, ducking away from an assault that never came. "I told you! I can't!" Tears began to escape from her eyes, flowing town her face freely.

"Useless!" Teran scoffed, "If you're not willing to fight for what you want, then you just don't want it enough. That's why your mother is failing Mandalore! She won't fight for us! She doesn't care!" He watched, hoping for a reaction from the girl. Maybe rage was the way to unlock her drive. However, when she made no move to do anything but sit in the dirt and cry, he shook his head and started to walk away.

As soon as Teran turned his head away, Nadine silently grabbed for the staff that she had dropped on the ground beside her, gripping onto it until her small knuckles were white. Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus. There was only one shot at this. She used the advantage of her small side to keep her movements quiet as she stood.

CRACK!

The loud smack of metal staff against metal helmet fell deaf to Teran's ears, as the world spun around him, ringing loudly and driving a sharp pain into the side of his skull. It wasn't until he shook the initial shock out of his head that he realized the ground had risen up in front of him. It was that, or he couldn't recall falling down to it. He tried to regain his senses about him, drawing them back into control as best he could. Before he could recover from the blow, another pressure smacked hard against the back of his helmet, shoving his face into the ground once more with the impact. And another crack sounded against the other side of his head, this time carrying the sound to his still ringing ears. When he tried to tune the ringing out, Teran could hear words being screamed between the blows.

"You're! A! Bully!" Nadine shrieked at the fumbling teen, who was taking his own turn sprawled out on the dirt. Her attack was random and sporadic, keeping it from being predicted.

Catching a split second of a break in the attack, Teran took the opportunity to roll, now laying on his back with his wrists crossed in front of his shielded face. The metal gauntlets on his wrists were successful at blocking the next blow and pushing the staff back and away, earning Teran another second to react. To his advantage, Nadine had ceased her assault and stepped back, calming down and loosening her grip on the staff.

"What do _you_ want?" Nadine asked, voice huffing out in deep breaths.

Still shaken from the disorienting assault on his head, Teran stumbled clumsily to his feet, taking his helmet off and throwing the accursed thing onto the ground. Sure, it saved his skull from any real damage, but he feared if he left the bucket on a second longer, it would become a part of his battered head. "Well…" he gasped out, shaking his head again, "I wanted you to get a hit in with a staff. Careful what you wish for, I guess." His voice came out oddly, Teran noticed as he felt a cold feeling on his lower lip and chin. Wiping a hand over his mouth, he pulled it away to reveal a large smear of dark blood on the grey glove. "Kriffing hell, kid…"

Metal rang out once more as Nadine dropped the staff onto the gravelly ground. She looked oddly horrified as she looked up at Teran's face. The fear wasn't driven by him or by the thought of repercussions for her actions. No, this fear was because _she_ caused this. The blood running down Teran's face was because of her actions. Because of her anger and trickery. The feeling sat like a great, heavy stone in the pit of her stomach.

When more of the world came back into focus, the pain began to set it in Terans head and face. Curiously, he picked up the helmet from where he had discarded it. The antennae sparked and crackled, only hanging off its usual place on the side of the armor by a wire. Large scratches on the back and sides of the helmet had exposed the metal where Nadine's staff had made the harsh contact. The display on the inside was dark and the visor was cracked and split where his bodyweight had shoved it into the gravel. Further inspecting the inside, he could see the blood spattered on the inside of the visor, that had dripped down from his face. "I guess it's a bloody good thing we didn't start with blasters then, huh?" he noted.

"You're...you're not gonna hurt me? You're not mad?" Nadine asked, courage draining from her more by the second as she still processed the blur of action that she hadn't stopped to think about before.

"Mad?" Teran laughed, turning his head off to the side to spit blood onto the ground, "You tricked me and bashed my head in! You honestly just used your age and pathetic scrappy little size to make me lower my guard. I was _just_ starting to think you didn't have it in you, then _bang!_ Right for the head! You clever little barve!" He wasn't mad. On the contrary, he was delighted. This meant that, all along, he was right. This kid had far more in her than met the eye. "Quick! Remember what it is you wanted! What did you want _right_ when you felt that staff hit me?"

Shocked by Teran's reaction, Nadine silently wondered if he was already this crazy or if she had hit him a lot harder than she thought. "Uh…" she stuttered out, trying to decide if this weird question was a trick or not, "I…I wanted you to pay for being so mean! It's not right." She crossed her arms to try and look more confident and imposing, but the effect just looked out of place on someone as young as she was.

"Revenge then? You wanted me to stop, because I beat you and hit you and you were mad? You got me back. Is that it?" His questions were meant to push her further. If he could get to the heart of why she acted, then he could learn how to turn her into a fighter yet.

"I don't want revenge!" she snapped, growing angry with his questions and forgetting her fear once again. "You said awful things about my mother! I don't care that you beat me. You were just being a bad person and you needed to stop! If you have a problem with someone, you should talk to them and work it out instead of saying mean things about them."

Teran stepped back for a moment, thinking about her response. "Well, it's a start." He gave a vague shrug as he spoke. "A bit idealistic of you with the whole talking-it-out bit, but now I know what makes you tick, runt." He stepped around behind Nadine, carrying his helmet under one arm and resting the other hand on Nadine's shoulder as he led her back toward the camp. "Justice."

As the two walked back into the main center of the camp, Teran could hear whispers and hidden snickers bounce around among the others. They were no doubt reacting to current state of his face. It wasn't until Captain Jex saw them that someone voiced their opinion.

"Hey, Jex," one of the younger boys laughed, "Looks like your kid brother got pummeled by the little princess there!"

"Glad he's not my clan," another voice rang out.

Captain Jex watched his brother for a moment, before realizing that the others were right. He'd been beaten by a child. This was a disgrace to the clan that a proud temper like Jex's couldn't stand for it. "What's going on here?!" he snapped, grabbing his brother by the edge of his chestplate and dragging him forward roughly, causing the younger to drop the helmet from under his arm. "If this is a joke, it's in poor taste, _brother!"_

"No joke," Teran answered, pulling away from his elder brother's grip. He dusted himself off in a display of cocky confidence, which acted as a fair enough ruse to the others around them. "You said I could make her useful, so I wanted to see if she could fight. She's a scrappy little thing, but she's deceptively fast."

Jex's next words were cut off by a growing laughter from the others nearby. Had they thought it was a joke? If so, Jex could play it off and save face for his clan. Suddenly, his rage dropped from his face, replaced by a fake smile and a hollow laugh. "Good one, Vod! You almost had me there. The kid! I mean really." He patted his brother's shoulder lightly as Teran started to walk away. Before Teran escaped the situation, Jex leaned in and growled out a reply for his ears only. "Get a handle on this. You're a disgrace to this clan. One more screw up and you'll be sorry you were ever born into it!"

Hanging his head, Teran started forward toward his own shelter, forgetting the child that was still trailing behind her. Even if she ran away from him, there would have been nowhere for her to go. Right now, he didn't even stop to care.

Nadine watched him trudge away, realizing that he had been far more defeated by his brother's words than he could have ever been by her surprise attack. She knelt down to pick up Teran's damage helmet and followed along after him into the shelter. "You forgot this," she explained quietly, holding the helmet out toward him.

Teran took it with on hand and, after staring at it for a moment, tossed it behind him. No Mandalorian would really treat such a symbol of who they were so carelessly; right now, he didn't care. He didn't feel like a true Mandalorian anyway. Sitting down on the edge of his cot, he dropped his head into his hands. Honestly, it still hurt from the impacts on the helmet.

"I know why you're so mean now," Nadine noted, sitting on the floor in the far corner where she had slept the past few days. "You're only mean because of what he did to you."

Her words clearly got to Teran, because his head shot up and his expression steeled to hide his true face. "You don't know what you're talking about!" How could some kid possibly be making judgments about his life and what he felt? She didn't know him. However, when he looked her in the eyes, his false expression slowly cracked. There was just something about her knowing stare that didn't fit a young child. Some deeper understanding that unsettled him to no end.

She continued calmly, explaining it to him as though she were reading the information off a data screen. "That mean captain is your closest family, so he's in charge of you. He doesn't know how to be a leader; only how to be a bully. He pushes you and hurts you, but you don't let him see that."

"Shut up."

"Is that why you're trying to train me?" Nadine's question was calm and curious as she spoke. "You keep pushing me, because maybe it'll make me strong. You don't know how else to teach, because pushing and hurting is how he taught you. I thought you were just like them. You're trying real hard to be like them, but you're not..."

"I said knock it off!"

"...because you're alone."

Teran's face fell, paleing as he listened to her. Something in his expression was a combination of fear and interest, as though he couldn't help but to ask questions, even if he really didn't want to know the answers. "You're wrong. These are my brothers."

"If you believed that, why are you only spending time with a little girl they took for money?" Nadine wondered, watching Teran stutter over an answer.

"That's not...I...how do you even….?" As his words faded out, he let out a deep sigh. "I don't know what you are, but that's just freaky kid. I...I wasn't trying to hurt you, alright?" The confession wasn't anything that Nadine didn't already know, but the tension seemed to fall because of it. "I thought if I could make you strong, they'd see that you were a real Mando'a, like us. If you can be Mando'a, the others on the homeworld can. I was just trying to trick myself into thinking that I could learn to lead people, when my brother is failing. This war that's coming...we're not ready. If we don't bring Mandalore together, it'll break us!"

Nadine listened to him thoughtfully, watching as he no longer paid attention to who he was talking to and only focused on the wistful pride in the dream before him. Now, he knew what she really wanted and she'd begun to figure him out. "You want Mandalore to be together and strong again."

"Yes. I thought that's what Deathwatch wanted too, but...this isn't the way to do it. Hiding on some rock out in the middle of nowhere training fighters for a war we can't win!" He groaned when reality set back into his thoughts. "Why am I even telling you this?!"

"You know, mister," Nadine smirked, hope and light shining in her eyes for the first time in a while, "I think we got an understanding here." Putting her hands on her hips, she stood up tall and confident. "Turns out we actually want the same thing. You wanna help people. _Our_ people. Me too. We can't do that by beating each other with sticks until your face is purple...which it kinda is."

Teran groaned and rolled his eyes, pulling a med kit out of his gear. "Look, tiny, it's not happening. I don't know if you're cleverer than I thought and trying to use me or delusional enough to be telling me the truth, but there's no way! My job is to follow my captain's orders and honor my clan for the good of Mandalore. It doesn't matter what I want for any of us, because I'm not in charge." He grabbed a cold pack from the kit and helt it over his swelling lower lip.

"Not yet," Nadine shrugged, "But if you're not willing to fight for what you want, then I guess you don't want it that bad. Right?"

Teran's gaze fell down to the ground, where he stared into the cracked visor of his helmet. He wanted to scoff the whole thing off and forget about it, but the pulling at the back of his mind just wouldn't quit. Any plan, no matter how crazy, was worth trying once. "What did you have in mind?"

Nadine tapped her chin with one of her slender fingers as she schemed. "Lookit, I don't wanna fight anybody. I don't like it. I won't be a bully like you. But...I don't see any other way I'm gonna be able to help people. There's no senates here or anything, so problems are solved by fighting. It's mean, but it's what it is." She pointed at Teran, still leaving her other hand on her hip. "You gotta teach me! No more metal sticks and stuff. I mean, you gotta teach real stuff. If you do that and help me get strong to protect people, then I'll be able to help you."

"Help me do what?"

"Be a better, nicer captain!" she explained, "If you can be fair, then people will like you more and wanna listen to you. You've gotta show them that we're not dumb kids!"

"You're about ten or something, tiny," Teran scoffed.

"Maybe right now," she admitted with a sigh, "But patience is part of being strong too! You don't learn anything in a day."

"You're barking mad," Teran noted, cracking a smile behind the cold pack still held to his face, "And I'm not totally against you here."

"Then let's start over," she offered, holding out a small hand, "I'm Nadine. I'm gonna be your new partner. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Teran," he chuckled, taking her hand in his to shake it, "And I'm just crazy enough to accept your partnership, runt."

The evening passed on in a neutral silence as Teran washed the blood off of his busted lip and face. When he looked less dishevelled, he settled back onto his cot, holding the cold pack back on his jaw. When he glanced up, he saw Nadine sitting on the pathetic excuse for a bed that she had, made out of a scrap tarp for a cot and her rolled up old dress for a pillow. A pang of guilt hit his thoughts, but he wasn't ready to let this weird little creature get to him just yet. Pity and compassion could be weakness and weakness can be exploited. That's what he was taught. That's what he knew.

Nadine inspected the sore spots on her arms and shoulders where the staff had hit her. The tender skin there was purpling with bruising, but it didn't look too bad she thought. It did sting a little on her shoulder, but she'd have to learn to be tough. As she touched the worst spot on her shoulder, that had a welt left from the training weapon, she hissed. _Okay,_ she thought to herself, _it really stings._ Suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts, a cold pack landed in her lap. She looked over at Teran in time to see him shrug, acting as though he didn't even care.

"What?" he huffed, "You're no good all black and blue. Rest up, tiny. You're gonna need it!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Commander, we've reached the system, but the camp hasn't responded to our comms." The soldier's voice came out with a rough metallic edge as he spoke through the blue and grey helmet. His expression was hidden, but his tone clearly suggested him nervousness.

Bo-Katan Kryze, commander of the Death Watch unit that she currently travelled with, turned her attention to the soldiers that had approached he with the situation. Still needing more clarity from the unhelpful update, she spoke with a harsh tone. "What do you mean they haven't responded? We're expected, are we not?"

"Yes, Commander," the soldier answered, "Captain Jex was informed days ago. The comm lines are up. He's just not answering."

"Land the ships!" This was the last straw. Bo-Katan knew full well that Jex had a history of denying or delaying orders and causing problems for any leader that he disagreed with. More often than not, that meant her. Nonetheless, she wasn't past the idea of forcing his submission to her authority. _If Vizsla hadn't vouched for that rat,_ she thought, _I'd have his head._ "We have a job to do."

The soldier knew that there was _one_ response to a direct order, regardless of the situation, order, or commanding officer. "Yes, sir!" He wasted no more time before conveying the order to the pilots and signalling for the escort to land on the habitable moon where the training camp was established.

The ships landed on the edge of the camp, receiving no trouble from the units on the surface. Regardless of whether or not Jex respected their comms, they were expected and recognized as an authoritative presence. Bo-Katan was at the heart of the command, having been sent by the leader of Death Watch himself to evaluate and recruit the best of the best from the camp, bring them back with her to prepare them for the fight to come soon.

An agreeable and unwilling Captain Jex stood waiting as Bo-Katan and a few of her personally selected officers left the ships. "Welcome," he gritted out through a false smile, "I trust you didn't have trouble finding the camp." It was obvious what his comment meant. Long ago, Jex's failures because of his arrogance and ambition got him sent here. He loathed the demotion from a real leader to a captain that was set aside to train cadets that he saw as children. He failed and wound up trapped on a moon in the middle of an overlooked, backwater system. His comment only stated his grievance in polite terms.

"Let's just get this over with."

"If we're taking so much of your valuable time," Jex suggested with a sneering smile, "Then perhaps you could leave the troop selection to me. After all, I am still this unit's captain. I know-"

As he spoke, Bo-Katan simply walked past him with, her small selection of soldiers following along behind her. "Since you know your men _so well_ , I trust you'll have the best of them ready for inspection within the hour." She didn't have to face Jex to know that he was still listening to her as she walked away.

"As you wish," he grumbled out.

Since Teran had started training Nadine three years ago, he was the only one that ever seemed to notice the true potential that she had. Captain Jex and the other older soldiers never saw it. Teran and Nadine passed by them day to day, ignored and written off as young and irrelevant compared to the older cadets. They were always blind to what they didn't want to acknowledge; this girl was proving to be a true Mandalorian. He had spent years trying to prove himself to Death Watch, only succeeding in staying under his brother's heel. Now, he had a new ally to train to fight alongside him and help him move forward with his plan. In this, he was succeeding beyond any expectations that he held. This girl, Nadine, had proved to be raging fire of spirit, hungrily waiting for her own turn to prove herself.

At first, Nadine's training seemed bleak. She worked long, hard days in the worst sort of environment, provided by the moon's harsh climate and the less that friendly demeanor of those that she lived with. The work and hopelessness would have worn down anyone with less spirit, but she only pushed herself harder. With every passing day, Nadine's hopeful vision of a peaceful home faded away. There was no more neutral Mandalore. Soon enough, war would reach her home system as it had reached so many others. The only real way to help her people now, in her mind, was to fight for them. In the meantime, she would grow in the shadow of her captors, waiting for just the right moment.

Teran watched as the three armor clad fighters formed around the girl in the center of the circle that they had established. Equipped with close range combat weapons, they fought boldly and with skill; however, in turn they each hit the ground, barely managing to stand again. Teran had already known that none of them had been a match for Nadine. He hoped that all together, they could challenge the girl. No such luck. She moved with a speed and dexterity that never ceased to fascinate him. The others remained on the ground, as Nadine stood expectantly over them, looking to Teran for her next instruction.

Now, his success stared him down, visor to visor. The cold, expressionless black helmet that mirrored his scrutiny pleased him. The armor had been the final reward for her progress. The black and red plating resembled that worn by his own house. While proficient in many weapons, she needed something custom to her strongest skill set. With the armor, Teran had given her the retractable, electric vibrostaff. From when he had tossed her a stick to this very day, her use of a staff or blade was like an extension of her own self. Now she stood unmatched with those weapons, leaving no mercenary at the settlement able to best her hand to hand. She was, plain and simply, a natural. "Nadine," he called to her, "Follow me. We have a few things to discuss."

Nadine followed the instruction silently, walking along beside him. She waited for him to begin speaking, but his hesitation was clear to her. "You're going to tell me that the war is getting worse so we're running out of time, aren't you?" Her observations weren't always complete or perfect, but they rarely strayed from the general mark.

"You're getting faster," Teran noted thoughtfully, avoiding her question for now. He stopped walking and turned to look at her. She looked so different than she did when she was first brought into the camp, he realized. Now, she was taller and walked with more strength. Even though she was still young, she'd learned so much and come so far. From studying every circuit and power cell of every weapon to how to use all of them with a notable and terrible efficiency, he could see that her training had gone farther than he could have ever taken it. This was second nature to her, but, again, she was still young. "And you're right. I've been doing what I can to patch through messages that are being sent to the captains in the compound. The Duchess is trying to convince the Republic Senate to not send military aid to Mandalore. If she can't do that, then the fighting will happen faster than I thought. I know you wanted to play the long game on this, but we're out of time."

Nadine's thoughts went right to her mother. She was still alive and fighting to help the people the best way she knew how. It was welcome news, despite the dark circumstances. "She's only trying to keep her people safe from the war. But...if she fails and the Republic gets involved, won't that force Death Watch into action? Fast?" As she took off her helmet, the concern on her face was clear to see.

Teran let out a deep sigh and removed his own helmet, tucking it under his arm. "It would. That's just the problem." He turned and pointed at the new ships that had come in that day. "You see those? That's the way out of here. Governor Vizsla is sending for more soldiers. There's going to be a real fight, and I'm going to be there for it."

Nadine looked at the ships, an idea forming in her mind. "So, whoever they pick goes on that ship to go fight? How is it done? How do they choose who to take?"

Teran knew that look on Nadine's face, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop her from thinking. This girl was far too clever to stop scheming. He just went on to explain it. "It's a process. See, the captains all pick the best cadets from the compound. They usually pick the oldest, because they've had the most training. The chosen soldiers go to get inspected and tested. If they pass, they go on to join an active cell of Death Watch and get off this blasted rock forever."

"How are they tested?" Nadine asked, eyes still fixed on the ships.

"Why do you need to know?" Teran scoffed, "Only the ones who are picked are going to go find that out. You're too young. Not to mention still a captive. The only way you're getting out of here is by breaking the rules, not following the traditions." He crossed his arms and followed her gaze to the ships.

Nadine looked to Teran now, raising an eyebrow at him. "You said it was _your_ way off, right?"

"Hey, now," he defended, holding his hands open in front of him in a gesture of surrender, "I'm not backing out. We had a deal that you were going to help me if I trained you. If I can get picked, then I have a chance at negotiating with the higher-ups for you. No one has come for you yet and we've finished the deal that Jex struck to take you. You're not good to keep prisoner. If I become a _real_ soldier than I'll convince them to let you go and let you help us fight. We'll do it the right way."

Nadine shook her head. "No, Teran. If you tell them the truth - that it doesn't pay to keep me here - then I'll become a loose end. I can get by on my own, because we're _both_ getting out of here. We'll never convince them that I can fight, so I'll show them!" She took a deep breath and nodded. "We need to get selected!"

Teran turned to walk away, gesturing for Nadine to follow. "Look, runt...I know you're really good at coming up with insane plans, but you _can't_ get selected. I'm in my brother's unit, allowing me a chance to compete, and you're not even supposed to have access to armor! I'll get killed if Jex finds out you're trying to win!"

Following alongside Teran again, Nadine smirked. "That's just it, Teran! You're brilliant. I can make this work."

"I just said _not_ to do that! How did you get the opposite from what I said? Were you even listening to me?"

Stepping out in front of Teran, Nadine put a hand on his chest to stop him from walking. "You told me how I was going to get selected. I'm _not_." Taking her hand, she patted the helmet under her arm. "But they won't know that. They don't have to know who I am to see what I can do. Nadine Kryze isn't even supposed to be here, much less supposed to be able to fight like the Mando'a. I just won't be her."

"You're a raving lunatic," Teran laughed, "That will _never_ work. This idea is actually getting worse!"

"What do you tell the others when I train with them? I know for sure they don't know it's me. What is it that you tell them, then?" Nadine knew the answer, but wanted to prove her point.

"I just tell them you're from clan Feyah," Teran reminded her, "They're so scattered that no one could tell whether it was true or not. As long as they don't see your face and recognize you, Nadine is all but forgotten. As far as these other cadets are concerned, you've been Adiline Feyah for over a year." He stopped for a moment, as if recalculating her odds of making the plan work. "That still doesn't mean you'll get picked. Even if you were Feyah. So, for the last time, I'm telling you: Don't do this! Stay outta trouble, keep your head down, and I'll come back for you." He walked on toward his bunk at the edge of the compound housing.

Nadine knew the usual drill; he went on to the camp and she had to go stash her armor and change back into the plain clothes of a prisoner before someone recognized her. Instead, however, she placed her helmet back on her head, hoping the the distortion of her voice through it would be enough. She didn't know if this would work, but it was a gut feeling that she just had to follow.

The trials for the cadets went on for hours. Any light the moon had from the neighboring sun faded into an evening glow. Armor was bathed in starlight, giving the warriors an almost ghostly appearance. Each of the captains who ran the training compound had come forward with their best cadets. The cadets were young men and women who had trained for this very opportunity for a long time. However, since the Death Watch demanded the best from their soldiers, only the best of those would be chosen. Losers would remain at the compound, training for their next chance at glory. The final test was long underway. A sparring arena was set up in the center of the training grounds. The arena was circled by cheering and shouting Mando'a, chanting for their pick of the young warriors.

Overlooking the fights, Bo-Katan and Jex watched the fighters with extreme scrutiny. As the losing fighter was thrown to the ground, a mixture of excited and angry cheers erupted among the others, pulling the leaders out of their evaluating thoughts. Bo-Katan crossed her arms and looked at the last cadet standing in front of them. "Well fought. What's your name?"

The cadet removed his helmet and bowed his head slightly in thanks. "I am Teran Jex. I was selected by Captain Jex for the trials."

Bo-Katan looked to Jex, who shrugged and offered a statement. "He's got a rebellious spirit that could stand some breaking down," Jex huffed, "But he's a good fighter and the best sniper you'll ever see."

"Very well. We'll take him," she agreed, turning back to Teran, "Fall in with the others. Let's see how many decent helmets we got, now that we're done with the-"

"Wait!"

Bo-Katan turned sharply to see where the objection came from. A girl cadet had run up and into the center of the arena. "What do you think you're doing, kid?"

"I challenge for the right to be tried!" the girl yelled.

Teran knew in an instant that it was Nadine. His heart leapt into throat in horror as she openly challenged a Death Watch commander. He wanted to stop her or say something. Anything. But, no matter what he said or did, he couldn't stop her now.

Nadine knew that she had not only gotten the Commander's attention but that she also peaked her interest. "Commander, I challenge _any_ warrior you pick to close quarters combat! If I can beat them, you will consider me!"

"If I refuse you, _child?_ " Bo-Katan scoffed.

"Then you are within your rights to do so, Commander," Nadine answered, "After all, I challenge out of place and run the risk of causing great insult to a commanding officer by doing so. By all means, reject the challenge of a _child_ in front of your men!"

The whole of the camp seemed to fall utterly silent when the challenge was called out. No one dared to interrupt or say anything for or against their commander. The insulting offer left little room for rejection now. No one would lose anything but time if it was accepted, but, if Bo-Katan refused now, it was a matter of honor.

"I accept!"

Nadine bowed her head slightly and stepped back further into the arena, drawing her vibrostaff from off of her back. As she saw Bo-Katan and her men turn to discuss a champion for the challenge, Nadine took the moment of near silence to take deep breaths and focus her energy and thoughts entirely on the matter at hand. Her plan, goals, and wants for being off of this moon could even wait. All that mattered is that she won the chance to get off of it first. Without an escape the rest wouldn't matter anyway. She just needed for Adiline Feyah to be chosen. _Clear your mind,_ she told herself, _Focus._

She watched as the champion she would face stepped into the arena. It was at that moment that her situation became real. Her opponent, fully clad in scarred, battle worn armor, was far taller than she was and appeared far stronger than anyone else she had ever fought. While fighting this soldier gave her the chance to escape this moon, it also had the chance to have potentially deadly consequences. The man was armed with his own vibrostaff, which, unlike Nadine's was jagged and bladed at the ends. _It doesn't matter that he's bigger or stronger,_ she repeated to herself. _All you have to do is be faster!_

Jex stepped forward to recite the usual rules of the combat challenge, given to the other cadets. "On our mark, you will fight to disarm and pin your opponent. You will have no help and no weapons other than the single one that you have each chosen. The fight is not for fatalities. It will be to the last man standing,"

"No!" Bo-Katan called out, changing the rules, "Let's see what she's got. Perhaps it will teach her some respect. The fight is to the blood!" She ignored Jex's surprised expression. The goal was to test his cadets, not to maim them, after all. Still, she made no sign of changing her mind. "Ready! For your honor! _Fight!"_


	7. Chapter 7

" _Fight!"_

As soon as the word sounded out clearly, the arena fell silent. The larger challenger circled the perimeter slowly, watching Nadine as he did so. In return, she met him step for step, equally sizing him up. Before the man even moved, Nadine felt a familiar pull at the back of her mind. She just had to time it right and then…

She watched as the man yelled out and lunged forward for the first strike, Anticipating just that, she skillfully moved to the side just enough to miss the blow. In the confidence of his brute force attack, he'd extended his arm out to thrust his staff forward. Taking the brief window of exposure, Nadine brought her own arm down on the elbow joint of his over extended arm. She knew that she hit the mark when the fast, decisive movement caused him to step back quickly with a grunt of pain. _He's too confident,_ she thought, _that he forgot defenses. He won't make that mistake again._

For what felt like hours - but was truthfully only moments - she focused all of her energy into dodging a relentless series of attacks, all relying on her opponent's strength rather than speed or precision. "She's just dodging and running," she could hear Captain Jex scoff to the side, "This isn't a fight." _Focus,_ she reminded herself. _Play the long game._

"Coward!" her opponent yelled as she dodged another swift blow, barely leaning back far enough to keep the staff's blade from scraping across her visor. He took the brief moment of vulnerability to kick her roughly in the stomach, tossing her onto her back with a thud. All he needed to do to win was make her bleed. As he jabbed the staff toward her, however, Nadine rolled quickly, using her position to kick the man's legs out from under him. Rather than to attack him when he fell, she flipped herself back up onto her feet, taking deep breaths, and focusing on trying to see weak points in the attack. This was a display of skill, not of brute force. She let her mind clear of everything but the movements of herself and her opponent. He got to his feet, but not fast enough.

As her mind had cleared, she saw the weaknesses and formulated a fast, strong, and decisive attack. While the soldier began to rise to his feet, she spun suddenly, throwing the top of her armored boot into his throat, right where the helmet and chest plate could not come together to protect him. He sputtered out a strangled cough and remained stuck on his knees as he tried to recover. In one hand, Nadine grabbed a firm hold on his staff, the other used for balance on his shoulder as she cartwheeled over him, jerking the weapon loose as she moved. She grabbed her own discarded staff as her attacker finally stood, fists up as he stood his ground.

"She's fast," Bo Katan noted thoughtfully, watching the display, "Fast and accurate."

"Doesn't matter," Jex scoffed, "She won't win no matter how many fancy flips she does. Not against a _real_ soldier."

Spinning the the staffs in her hands, Nadine was able to push her opponent back into the defensive as the moved toward him. The sight, she'd hoped, would be enough of a visual distraction to mask her real attack. As her own staff still flourished in an impressive defense in front of her, she lowered his and jabbed it low on the side, trying to catch his leg. Unfortunately, her plan failed when he was fast enough to grab the un-bladed middle of the staff near where her hand was. Knowing that he would either have to release the staff or follow her movement to hold on, she quickly rolled to the side. The soldier, still holding on, was taken by surprise at the movement and almost pulled off of his feet once more. He lost the weapon but retained his footing.

As Nadine finished the sharp movement, she was distracted. A the blunt blow of a gloved fist into her side sent pain shooting through her torso. She reeled back from the pain, turning as she did. In that moment, an arm wrapped around her throat from behind her. The soldier had finally reclaimed the upper hand and she couldn't have that. She dropped the staff, grabbing at the arm and pretending to be weakened by the hold. Thinking fast, she hooked on of her legs around the knee of the man behind her and pulled it forward at the same moment that she kicked off of the ground with her other leg. The force of her weight coming down, along with his leg being kicked out, send him flat on his back as she landed hard on his chest.

Everything had turned red for Nadine, since the punch to her ribs. Now, she could no longer think about the fight. She didn't need to think; she just acted. Turning and shoving one knee down into the man's chest, which was likely already injured from the impact, she kept him pinned onto the ground. As soon as the staff was back in her hands, the blunt side was pressed into his throat by the pressure of both of her hands pushing in. It didn't take long for the oxygen deprivation to set in and weaken the soldier's struggling movements. Soon enough, his arms stopped trying to push her away and his legs stopped scrambling for purchase against the gravelled ground. His chest still rose and fell in shallow labored movements, signalling that he was still alive. Nadine didn't waste time, standing and thrusting the sharp blade of the end of the staff into the joint between his chestplate and the armor on his shoulder. The pain of the sudden stab was enough to bring the man back enough to cry out in a harsh, pained scream.

Nadine pulled the staff back out, turning to walk across the arena and present the bloody weapon to Bo-Katan. In as brave and commanding voice as she could muster, she looked toward the commander and spoke. "I beat your champion. You must consider me!"

Bo-Katan looked at the victor silently for a moment, before speaking. She had silenced Jex's protests with a simple motion of her hand. "Who are you, cadet? What's your name?"

Nadine knew the safe answer. When she reached this point, she would say her name was Adiline Feyah. It was a simple, easy, and convincing lie. Still, something inside of her kept the words from rising to the surface. If they found out who she really was, there was a high possibility that she would be killed on sight for what she'd done. Yet, the voice at the back of her mind hadn't failed her yet. If anything, this deep gut feeling was all she relied on anymore. It didn't make sense, but it was her only real chance. Fear still plagued her mind. _They'll kill you. Just tell them the lie._ "I am Adi-..." She had already begun her practiced lie, but her voice seemed to die in her throat. Taking a deep breath, and strengthening her stance, she removed her helmet. "My name is Nadine Kryze! I demand the right to join the Deathwatch and fight for Mandalore! For _our_ people!"

In the silence that fell over the arena and all those who surrounded it, Teran could have sworn he could hear everyone's breath and heartbeats. _What was she doing?!_ He hadn't even realized that he had been holding his own breath until he was forced to exhale by his burning lungs. Now that people knew that she had trained and taken up a mantle of Mandalore, it wouldn't be long before they realized that he was to blame for it. She was going to get both of them killed! His gaze nervously turned to his brother, on the other side of Bo-Katan. Jex was _fuming_ with anger. That much was plain to see.

"You would dare disgrace Mandalore?!" Jex yelled at Nadine. "What you have done is unforgivable! I should have killed you when I had the chance! How did you even-..." Realization flashed across his face as his gaze and anger turned toward Teran. "You!"

Teran laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "You did say I could teach her how to be useful around here, brother. You shook my hand on it, without bothering to ask how I planned to do it." Looking down to the ground to avoid his brother's venomous glare, Teran shrugged weakly. "Ta-da?"

"That girl isn't worth the trouble!" Jex snarled, "Her worth to me is spent! I want her head!"

Bo-Katan shot her hand up with a signal to her men as they all stepped back away by the distance of a few feet. "We don't kill one of our own," she stated plainly.

"She's not one of us! She's a prisoner of war who shouldn't even-"

"Quiet, Captain!" Bo-Katan didn't even bother facing Jex. She removed her own phoenix helm and studied the girl in front of her intently. There was no mistaking her. The girl's pale, angular features and golden hair made her the spitting image of her mother; the image of Bo-Katan's sister. _Satine._ "You're Satine's daughter…"

"I am."

"Yet you want to join Deathwatch?"

Nadine kept her footing, looking steadily into the other woman's face as she spoke. "I do. I want to fight for Mandalore. The chance to help my home is all I have ever wanted. If Mandalore won't fight for itself, then it seems that Deathwatch must."

"Then we have a lot of work to do," Bo-Katan noted, "Teran, you know her?"

"Um...yes, commander," Teran replied, "I was the one who initiated her training. I believed that she could be a really valuable asset to us. She really does want to restore Mandalore, as we all do. That part isn't a lie, I swear it."

"Good." Bo-Katan placed her helmet back on and turned toward Teran. "Get her and the others ready to leave. For all official purposes, this may as well be your own sister. You will watch her back and the responsibility for her actions will fall on you. Keep an eye on her. If what you say is true, there shouldn't be any problems, yes?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Make it fast." Turning to face Jex, Bo-Katan could have almost laughed at his outraged expression. "Is there a problem, Captain Jex?"

"You can't do this!" Jex protested, "She's not even a real Mandalorian. She's the daughter of our enemy and...and you want _my_ namesake to answer for her?!"

"Who am I, Jex?!" Bo-Katan snapped suddenly, "What's my name?"

"Commander Bo-Katan...Kryze," Jex admitted. Truthfully, the name was the cause of all of the objection and disdain he held for her. How could someone from a traitorous household such as that possibly rank over him, a dedicated Captain whose family wasn't involved in the political disgrace of their home.

Bo-Katan stared him down coldly through her visor, watching as he shifted nervously under the weight of her glare. "Are you suggesting that I am unloyal to Mandalore? Or to our cause?"

"No, sir…" Jex grumbled.

"Then you _will_ respect my decision. This child is _no longer_ part of the Duchess's family, but she is now a part of mine!" With that, she walked back to the transports to make preparations for their departure.

"I can't believe you!" Teran exclaimed, entering the tent-like structure after Nadine. "You could have gotten us both killed! Now...we're in _favor_ with one of the high officers of Deathwatch! How did you even do it?! She's even from your clan! That's…"

Nadine sat quietly, unphased by Teran's surprised ranting as if she didn't hear it. She stared into her narrow reflection in the cold, black visor of the helmet in her hands. The other new officers were ready to cheer her on for risking such a dangerous plan and succeeding, but that didn't matter to her either. As she looked into the faceless mask, she heard the spine chilling scream of her opponent over and over again in her mind. Sure, he had survived the challenge and would recover; that didn't stop the memory. She could still see the crimson blood pooling beneath him from where his shoulder had been speared through with his own weapon. The pain and damage done was because of her. This was the first time that she'd shed the blood of another person onto the ground in such a way. Needless to say...it felt wrong.

Teran continued his excited ranting as he paced in large steps back and forth in front of where Nadine sat. "I mean, you destroyed him! A fully trained Deathwatch soldier! I thought for a few moments in the middle that he was going to kill you, but you just suddenly broke him down! It was amazing and-"

"That's enough!" Her words were more of a sad plea for him to stop than an expression of frustration with him. "I did what I had to do for the good of the plan, Teran. That's all. We don't need to speak of it anymore." As she spoke, she still couldn't tear her eyes away from the object in her hands. It almost scared her, as though if she put it on once more, she would be trapped behind it. "I shouldn't have done it…" Her voice fell quiet, barely audible.

"You're not feeling guilty, are you, runt?" Teran chuckled, "It's not a big deal. He'll be fine. After all, your insane plan actually worked. You can join us now! You can fight for Mandalore and do the right thing. This is what you wanted! What we both want. You're one of us now, vod!"

"Then to become a true Mandalorian is to needlessly spill each other's blood! He was one of us too! I didn't even think about it." Her voice shook slightly as she spoke, still losing the adrenaline from the arena. "It didn't even matter that he was a person. All I cared about was winning and that's not right. _That's_ not what I wanted!"

Teran watched her expression for a while, before sitting next to her for a quiet moment or two. "Hey…" he sighed, wishing the words would come easier, "It...it gets easier. Trust me. I don't have a lot of experience, but I already know that much." He slowly took the helmet from her hands and set it off to the side in an attempt to pull her out of her doubting thoughts.

Nadine took a long, deep breath. "Don't you see, Teran?" She finally looked up to him, blue-green eyes swirling with worry and doubt. "Getting used to something wrong won't make it right. This might get easier, but that's what worries me. I want to help people and...in trying to do that, all I've done is learn how to hurt them. A person is still a life, no matter what side of the blaster they're on."

"Be careful with talk like that, runt. You sound an awful lot like-"

"Like my mother?" Nadine asked, already knowing that was the right answer. "What she's doing may not be working, but there has to be some merit in trying to spare lives. I can't presume to understand how war works, having seen very little of it, but-"

"I know how it does," Teran stopped her. He stood up and grabbed his own helmet, carrying it under one arm. "And we're about to be stuck in the middle of one, whether you like it or not. It's time you realize that, in a war like this, saving lives and sparing lives are _very_ different things. Keep your eye on what you're fighting for and stow the doubt. Compromising for a good reason is better than not taking any action at all!" He put his helmet on and grabbed his pack. "Get your stuff. The transport leaves within the hour."

"I understand." Nadine stood and touched his arm to stop him for a second longer. "And...thank you, Teran. You didn't have to stick up for me out there, but…you did it anyway. I won't forget that."

Teran lightly smacked her shoulder in a playful gesture. "Hey, we're family now, runt. We stick our neck out for each other, eh? Now...let's get off this blasted moon. For good!"

Nadine had never felt such an overwhelming sense of relief as when she watched the training compound, as well as the moon it was located on, fade away into a blur of light. Since she had been a prisoner during her first flight, this was the first time she was able to watch the stars disappear into a long tunnel of light as the ship went to light speed. When she had requested to watch the jump in the cockpit, it surprised her when Bo-Katan not only allowed it, but went to watch it with her. The view and movement of the ship was both nerve wracking and exciting to her. This was it. This was the next chapter of her life. This was when she felt she could finally prove herself and take her place among her people. The pull that seemed constantly in her mind was now satisfied, reminding her that this direction was where she was supposed to go next.

"You can come be with family now," Bo-Katan spoke from behind her, putting a hand on her niece's shoulder, "Where you really belong."

 _Family,_ Nadine thought, _it sounds awfully good._ Still, her thoughts ran back to her mother. She silently swore to herself that she would see her mother again, no matter what it took.


End file.
